Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Optimism and Skepticism Greet City's Plea for Compromise

Businesses in the city's Five Star Industrial Park responded favorably Tuesdayto the City Council's decision to postpone a vote on a controversial zoningchange and seek an agreement that would let Pike Industries continue operating.But some residents in the nearby Birdland neighborhood remained skeptical ofPike's intentions. City officials plan to bring businesses and residentstogether to find a way to resolve the long dispute.

3 comments:

If Pike is sincere and embraces the use of non-explosive demolition agents to fracture the rock instead of blasting then many of the most noxious aspects of the quarry go away.

There are numerous brand names but a common controlled demolition agent is Dexpan. Although they require more labor since more holes have to be drilled, the agents can be cheaper to use since no blasting permit is required, no specialized explosive experts, no specialized training, no safety issues and the agents work "lights out" overnight without monitoring. These agents work in any type of weather (even underwater) and could even be used in the off-season (winter).

No dust, no noise, no vibration. These agents are routinely used in seismically sensitive areas. Check out the web-site. www.dexpan.com If Westbrook is going to be a high-tech mecca, then we should conduct our mining in a high-tech manner.

Yankeefarmer, leave the rock removal to experts and stop spreading bogus unscientific information (or keep the manure spreading confined to your fields). The cost of the material Dexpan, exceeds the value of the rock that would be loosened. The drilling required on a one foot by one foot center (as recommended on their website) would cost 75% of the value of the rock. It is not used at any production quarry in the world, do some homework and call and ask them, you will see how lacking is your information. Let Pike stick to doing what they do best and use the science to solve the problems. That is why they hire experts.

To Rocksmith: The value of the rock at Spring Street far exceeds the industry standards. Pike has stated that this rock is prized, unique and special. Not available anywhere else. Having the only source, Pike will be able to charge a premium for it that would off-set any additional costs for extraction.

Also, Pike being able to operate a quarry in an urban area very close to potential customers will be a tremendous competitive advantage. It is only appropriate that Pike should invest this financial windfall in mitigating some of the negative effects of the quarry.

Are you suggesting that the neighborhood should lower its standards to accommodate Pike's profit margin? Doesn't seem fair to me.